This invention relates to devices commonly referred to as a bath mesh or bath ball. Such devices are used for bathing purposes especially for lightly rubbing the skin and are particularly popular for bathing babies, toddlers and the like in adult or smaller child-sized bath tubs. An example of such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,013,523 and 6,443,527 to Chang and Borcherds et al in which strips of plastic mesh are would around spaced posts, secured in the center with a tie cord and then released to form a roughly spherically shaped ball.
Children enjoy splashing in the tub and generally assisting in the bathing process, and thus it has been proposed to combine animal and other
Children enjoy splashing in the tub and generally assisting in the bathing process, and thus it has been proposed to combine animal and other shaped objects with such bath balls. Fastening such animal shapes in a secure manner to the bath balls such that the animal-shaped portion can be utilized as a handle for manipulating the combined bath ball has not been proposed and such is a positive objective of the present invention.
Children also enjoy squirting toys to squirt, shoot or spray bath water at each other and their parents or other caregiver, and such toys are widely available as well. Such toys are often hollow objects, e.g., animal shapes, that can be squeezed to fill with bath water and then squirt water therefrom. These toys use a common opening to load (fill) and squirt the water. These toys, however, overlook the fact that bath water often includes dirt, soap scum and, heaven's forbid, fecal matter and the like and do not provide and/or incorporate a means to filter such objectionable materials from the bath water prior to entering the hollow animal body. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to combine a hollow animal-shaped body with a bath scrub ball such that the ball's mesh fabric serves as a filter for such objectionable materials.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by fastening a hollow object, e.g., an animal shape, to a bath mesh ball in such a position that the water intake opening to the object's hollow interior cavity is positioned entirely within the mesh such that at least the larger solid contaminants are filtered and prevented from entering the object's interior cavity during the loading or filling cycle of the bath water such that less contaminated water is squirted generally from a separate exit opening in the object's body.
A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a combination bath scrub ball and water toy comprising a mesh scrub bail with a toy member attached thereto to form a handle by which the bath ball may be grasped and manipulated by the user, said mesh ball formed of multiple folds of mesh fabric fastened in position via a tie cord surrounding and cinching said folds to maintain said ball shape, said toy member having a hollow flexible wall body including a bottom wall in turn having a fill opening therethrough and attachment means for firmly attaching said toy member to said bath ball with said bottom wall nestled among the folds of said bath ball such that when the hollow body is at least partially submerged in water and then air is forced out of said attachment opening by inwardly compressing said body so that water is dawn upwardly into said body through said fill opening as well as portions of said bath mesh fabric to, in effect, filter the water entering the body when the compressive action in the body is released, said hollow body having a second squirt opening extending through the body wall at a level above said fill opening such that at least a portion of the water within the body is forced out of said squirt opening when the body is again inwardly compressed.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.